The present invention relates to a seat device for a vehicle which comprises a driver seat, an assistant seat and a rear seat disposed behind them.
Conventionally, various types of seat devices for a vehicle comprising the driver seat, the assistant seat and the rear seat disposed behind them have been devised.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-226175 discloses the seat device for a vehicle in which a recess portion is formed at a potion of an instrument panel in front of the assistant seat. Herein, in the case where the assistant seat with a seat cushion and a seat back is stored, the seat back with a headrest is inclined forward by a specified angle with respect to the seat cushion located substantially horizontally and then the assistant seat is moved forward to its front stored position, where the front portion of the seat cushion is located below the instrument panel and the headrest on the seat back is just located in the above-described recess portion formed at the instrument panel. Thus, the assistant seat can be stored along and close to the instrument panel.
The above-described seat device has an advantage that this forward-moved assistant seat can provide a load space on a floor panel between the rear end of the assistant seat and the rear seat. However, the rear seat of this conventional seat device is provided on a rear floor (load floor), which is formed at rear of the floor panel via a kickup portion and positioned at a higher level than the floor panel. Accordingly, this may cause a large difference in level between the floor panel and a seat cushion of the rear seat, and thereby a flat load space could not be obtained properly.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-35334 discloses the seat device for a vehicle in which there are provided a rear floor, a floor portion at a higher level, and a load floor at a further higher level, and a seat cushion of a rear seat is provided on the floor portion and a seat back of the rear seat is attached to a front end of the load floor via hinges. Herein, a front row seat is moved forward, and then the seat cushion of the rear seat is rotated forward and the seat back of the rear seat is located on the above-described floor portion via the hinges. Thus, the seat cushion of the rear seat is located horizontally in the longitudinal direction, and back faces of the seat cushion and seat back of the rear seat and the load floor are made flat. Accordingly, a continuous and relatively large load space can be formed.
In the above-described conventional seat device for a vehicle, however, there may occur a gap between the rear end of the front row seat moved forward and the front end of the seat cushion of the rear seat rotated forward. Also, the front row seat is moved forward, just maintaining its normal use (sitting) position. Accordingly, this conventional seat device still has a problem that a sufficiently large, flat and continuous load space could not be obtained.